Bound by the Blood moon

Chapter 2

As she ascended the staircase, a humourless laugh echoed from the depths of the dungeon. "See you soon, Charlie," the man called out. The familiarity of his tone was unsettling. No one had ever shortened her name before. It had always been Charlotte. The informality was improper, undignified, yet she found herself strangely intrigued.

Muttering to herself as she neared the top, Charlotte failed to watch her step and collided with Lilias. "Ah beg yer pardon, Miss Charlotte, Ah mean, mah Lady, please forgive me," Lilias said, curtsying deeply.

Charlotte's eyes were drawn to the visible strap marks on Lilias's arms, a stark reminder of her earlier punishment. She could not help but feel pity for the young werewolf. "It was my fault," she replied softly. "Do not worry. I understand it is a lot to adjust to."

Lilias nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. She resumed her duties, but Charlotte's voice halted her once more. "I would like you to become my personal maid," she said firmly. "I believe you will find me significantly more patient than our housekeeper."

Lilias was at a loss for words. Was this kindness, or merely the veneer of civility that concealed darker intentions?" She could not be certain. Though Charlotte appeared kinder than the other vampires she had encountered, she was still one of them, part of the regime that had torn her family apart. She could not afford to lower her guard. "Ah would like that, thank ye... mah Lady," she replied hesitantly. She waited for Charlotte to dismiss her, eager to return to her duties. The ball would continue until the early hours, and she was already exhausted.

"One more thing," Charlotte said, noticing the slight frustration in Lilias's expression. "Do you know the name of the man being held in the dungeons? I am certain he is not the only one, but he seems to be more... confined than the rest." She studied Lilias for a moment, wondering if the girl harboured any loyalty to the prisoners.

"A cannae be certain without seein' whom ye refer tae, but Ah presume it is Leonardo. He prefers tae be called Leo," Lilias replied, her voice low.

"Leo," Charlotte enunciated, allowing the name to linger on her lips like something exotic and unattainable. "Pray tell, what led you to believe it is he, if I may inquire?"

At her side, Lilias hesitated, her fingers twisting nervously around the hem of her modest maid's frock, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "His scent is the most pronounced," she confessed softly, as though sharing a precious secret.

This admission caused Charlotte to bristle ever so slightly, her instinct to maintain composure battling with an eagerness she had not wished to betray. "Ah," she replied, her voice a fraction too impassioned. Hopefully, Lilias had not noticed the spark of interest igniting within her.

"Is there somethin' else Ah can help ye with?" Lilias asked, snapping Charlotte from her musings.

"Indeed. Pray attend to my chambers at precisely nine o'clock—my training begins promptly," Charlotte commanded.

Lilias nodded dutifully and made her way toward the kitchen, where she had been relegated to preparing for the nocturnal feasts of the vampires, no longer permitted to serve them directly. Their extravagant indulgences bordered on the grotesque, a sight that left her feeling repulsed.

Once alone, Charlotte withdrew to her chambers, tearing the pendants and pins from her hair and allowing her golden locks to cascade freely down her back. She turned her attention abruptly to the jewellery laid out on her vanity, hurling them down in a fit of frustration. What was it about him that roused such feelings within her? By all accounts, he was beneath her station. Yet, the whimsical way he addressed her as "Charlie" stirred something deep within her—a delight she had long stifled beneath layers of propriety. "It is merely curiosity for the unknown," she chided herself, though the conviction of her own words felt frail.